Joe Schiavoni running for governor, says he's 'in it to win it'

Joe Schiavoni, the Youngstown-area Democratic leader in the Ohio Senate, today became his party's first announced candidate for governor in 2018. In a release announcing his candidacy, he said he is running "to provide the new generation of leadership we need to move Ohio forward."

“After seven years of Republican control, we still don’t have the high-paying jobs that places like Youngstown, Toledo and the Ohio Valley so desperately need. Our roads and bridges are falling apart. Our public education system is woefully underfunded. Ohio’s opioid epidemic continues to plague our communities. Meanwhile, Ohio Republicans give hundreds of millions of dollars to failing charter schools and billions in income tax cuts to the very rich."

The Boardman resident also noted, "I am not a career politician, and I'm not going to be the anointed candidate. But I am a fighter, the fighter that Ohio needs. I will work harder than anyone, visit every part of the state and meet with every Ohioan I can until I win. Once elected, I will get to work giving ALL Ohioans the new leadership they are asking for and they deserve.”

I am excited to announce my candidacy for Governor of the State of Ohio.We need a new generation of leadership to move our state forward. pic.twitter.com/pbPHdU4rJo

— Sen Joe Schiavoni (@JoeSchiavoni) March 1, 2017

Schiavoni said in an interview, "I'm in it to win it, there's no backup plan." The senator, a lawyer specializing in workers' compensation cases, said he is not interested in running for another statewide office.

He is confident he can raise the money to be competitive, saying he raised about $100,000 last month after spending down his campaign account to help elect other Democratic senators.

Conceding the would-be Republican candidates have better name recognition, Schiavoni said he will work all of of Ohio to become known.

"I want to get throughout the state, work hard every day, to build relationships through listening, trust and real conversation," he said.

Schiavoni's announcement comes a day after another Youngstown-area Democrat, Congressman Tim Ryan, said he would not run. Former northeastern Ohio Congresswoman Betty Sutton says she will declare her intentions within a few days. Some Democrats are lobbying for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray, a former attorney general, to return to Ohio and run for governor.

Party Chairman David Pepper has been urging those considering a run for Ohio's top slot to make a decision, because the campaign for the seat being vacated by Republican John Kasich due to term limits will be vigorous and expensive.

The GOP already has several relatively well-known public officials in the mix: Attorney General Mike DeWine, Secretary of State Jon Husted, U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth and Kasich's lieutenant governor, Mary Taylor.

Schiavoni said, "Our next governor must be someone who can speak to voters in all parts of the state — urban, suburban and rural. Someone who will fight for all Ohioans, no matter where they live and no matter who they voted for in the past. Someone who can talk to people who don’t regularly vote and inspire them to get involved and help bring about real change. Someone who tells it like it is and won’t make promises they can’t keep."

Meanwhile, three-term state Rep. Dorothy Pelanda, R-Marysville, announced today she will seek the Republican nomination for secretary of state in 2018. The House majority floor leader could face a primary challenge from Sen. Frank LaRose, R-Copley.

“I am running for secretary of state to ensure that our elections are fair, open, and handled with integrity,” Pelanda said in a statement. “As a custodian of democracy, I will facilitate an environment where all Ohioans are confident that our voices are heard."

She said she would also work to "grow Ohio's economy" and help eliminate bureaucratic burdens facing businesses.

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